(LifeScript Health News) The controversial HPV vaccine given to women is now recommended for men, too.

The Gardasil vaccine protects against the human papillomavirus, which can lead to cancer in men and women. Researchers believe the vaccine may now prevent HPV in boys and young men, as well as the virus’s companion conditions, genital warts, anal cancer and penile cancer.

The vaccine was tested in 4,000 males, with half receiving a vaccine and the other half receiving a placebo. The findings show a 90% reduction in cases of genital warts and other lesions in the test group. Only three cases of genital warts were reported in the vaccinated group, compared to 35 cases in the group that didn’t receive the vaccine.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease contracted by skin-on-skin contact. About 20 million people in the U.S. are infected with a strain of HPV at any given time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.